Rivian is one of the newest automakers in the U.S., and it’s already made a name for itself by making great all-electric cars like the R1T. Since Rivian is such a new company, it’s had some growing pains, and there have been a few delays. However, the good news is that Rivian has plans to expand its production capacity by building a new factory in Georgia.
Rivian has had some electrifying growth
A Rivian plant | Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
From the very beginning, Rivian’s goal was pretty simple. It wanted to build EVs to help make the world a better place. At the time, Tesla was making many headlines as its Model S and Model 3 were quite popular in America. However, Rivan saw an opening, as both the Model 3 and the Model S are sedans. As a result, Rivian started working on EVs that were a bit bigger than just a sedan.
It didn’t take long before Rivian attracted a lot of corporate attention, including from the likes of Amazon and Ford. In fact, Amazon, in particular, owns millions of Rivian shares and has also ordered a lot of electric cargo vans from the startup EV automaker. Meanwhile, Rivian’s passenger vehicles have a lot of hype behind them, as the R1T and the R1S both look like very capable EVs.
Up until now, Rivian was building all of its vehicles at a single factory in Normal, Illinois. However, due to how many people have already reserved a Rivian, that single factory wasn’t enough. That’s precisely why the electric vehicle automaker plans to build another factory, this time in Stanton Springs, Georgia.
A look at the EV automaker’s new production factory in Georgia
Rivian hasn’t broken ground on this new factory just yet. However, some significant regulatory progress has already been made. According to The Street, this proposed factory in Stanton Springs has been somewhat controversial with the locals. Even though shovels haven’t hit the ground yet, about 2,000 Stanton Springs residents have already expressed disapproval of the proposed factory.
The state of Georgia, meanwhile, is very much in favor of this proposed factory. As a way to help move the project along faster and avoid public opposition, the state of Georgia is “taking over” the project, according to TheStreet. By doing this, the proposed Rivian factory will be exempt from many of the regulatory hearings and meetings that would’ve otherwise been necessary.
This will, in turn, fast-track the proposed 2,000-acre factory. It’s not clear how much time will be saved thanks to this move, but it should move forward faster than usual.
The many problems that Rivian has been facing
This is good news at a good time for the upstart EV automaker, as Rivian has been smacked with multiple delays. One of those delays happened in late 2021 when it was announced that about 20% of orders would be delayed to 2023. There have been multiple reasons why Rivian was forced to delay deliveries. Still, many of those reasons had to do with the supply chain issues and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that’s caused a lot of havoc with the economy.
The good news is that this new factory in Georgia could help alleviate future production issues. The factory that Rivian operates in Illinois is building the R1T, the R1S, and the Amazon vans. By having a second factory, Rivian can meet its obligations more quickly.
Keyword: Rivian Plans to Expand Production by Building a Factory in Georgia